Chattanooga sees spike in vehicle break-ins

By Mason Edwards, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Contributed photo / Juan Aponte's 2012 Chevy Cruze, seen Sept. 30, 2023, was smashed into in the Finley Stadium parking lot.

A summer spike in vehicle break-ins has left many Chattanooga residents footing repair bills, filing police reports and, in at least one case, moving out of downtown altogether.

Auto thefts and vehicle break-ins jumped from 27 reported incidents the week ending June 6 to 111 the week ending June 20, according to Chattanooga Police Department Auto Crimes Sgt. Randy Raulston. He said those figures are likely underestimates, considering they don’t include unreported cases.

The crime spree two weeks ago was one of the largest since 2020, when schools let out during the pandemic and the number of auto thefts and burglaries jumped 75% in one year, according to previous Chattanooga Times Free Press reporting.

Raulston said in an interview that juveniles and young adults are usually behind these crimes, which tend to rise each summer. The most recent wave plagued North Chattanooga, the downtown area, the Hamilton Place mall region and other concentrated areas.

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"They really targeted apartment complexes also, as well as hotel-motel parking lots," Raulston said. "There has been some subdivisions, but nothing like the apartment complexes. That is just an area of opportunity. The cars are so close together, they can work them a lot quicker."

Raulston said that today's generation of offenders often work overnight, until 7 a.m. — compared to past crews who stopped before dawn.

At least a quarter of reported thefts occurred with an unlocked vehicle or a vehicle with the keys or key fob left inside, he said, adding that he has video of juveniles jumping into cars and trying the push-to-start button.

Trucks at Riverview North Apartments were among several targeted in recent weeks. In an email sent on June 13 to residents shortly after several vehicles were broken into, the property management team advised residents to "consider leaving your car unlocked with nothing inside to avoid window damage."

Abigale Morris, 23, said while her car was spared, many trucks were not. She doesn't want strangers in her car with access to her registration. She'd rather take steps to deter the crime than leave the car unlocked.

"They really do try to help their residents," she said. "I personally don't think that might be the best advice you can give, but with what we're working with, it's kind of all they have."

When thieves hit a big payoff from one vehicle, it encourages them to come back on another night or try the rest of the cars in the lot, police said.

"If they can take the car, the car is going to go with them before they even try to ransack and go through the car," Raulston said. "It's just a bunch of youth or young adults that are just together, running, and they're just kinda collaborating together and working."

The property managers advise to report all suspicious activity to police, remove all valuables and hide everything, even if it's not valuable. With four or five break-in sprees since she moved there last September, Morris thought the only thing the complex could do would be to install a coded gate.

"We see it all the time," she said in a phone interview. "You could sit out on the balcony and watch people start walking and going through cars."

Managers at Riverview North Apartments did not respond to a voicemail seeking comment.

WEAPONS ON BOARD

A Chattanooga Police Department social media post earlier in the month advised gun owners not to leave their weapons in their vehicles and not to display any firearm-related stickers or other symbols related to the Second Amendment. Raulston said that with "any type of gun advertisement, you just made your vehicle prospect No. 1."

"This time around, where we've been dealing with, with this group, they targeted quite a few trucks, just 'cause most likely it might be a man who left his gun in his car," he said, adding that he knows people have the right to bear arms and that the car is considered an extension of their home. "However, be responsible with that gun. I've seen some leave them in plain view, leave them right in their seat. They're asking to be a target, and usually they are."

He's seen pawned weapons that were stolen from vehicles, but he's also seen guns stolen from vehicles be used in a violent crime. If people must leave their weapons in their vehicle — for example, if they plan on entering a firearm-restricted area — Raulston recommended citizens purchase a lockbox, affix it to the car and put the gun in the lockbox. He said the auto crimes unit has ongoing investigations and it is pursuing warrants for the involved individuals.

Solving an auto crime hinges on witnesses and video — evidence not always available. Identifying the individuals, who are often repeat offenders, is the toughest part, Raulston said. The national average of property crime recovery is 15%, Raulston said, and he estimates the Chattanooga Police Department's rate is around 24%.

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PERSONAL COSTS

Juan Aponte, who lives near Finley Stadium, said his vehicles have been broken into five times in two years, most recently in mid-June.

Aponte was shocked to learn that youth and young adults were primarily involved in smashing his windows in search of guns. When he pictured the window-smashers, he imagined criminals from the movies, not young people. Kids getting their hands on firearms was "entirely too scary to be thinking about," he said.

"If we have this many kids taking part in criminal activity, that speaks to me about a lack of social programs more than a need for stronger juvenile detention reform," he said.

Aponte, 23, is leaving the 1400 Chestnut Apartments, due partly to break-ins.

"The break-ins really did make us want to look further out, and the downtown area, honestly — like we love the area, and we love how accessible things are, but it has gotten a little bit much," he said in a phone interview. "In our search process, we have looked for apartments that have gated communities or communities a little bit outside the center of the city."

The damages for five break-ins and four smashed windows — one break-in happened with an unlocked door — total to at least $800 in glass alone, Aponte said. That figure doesn't include the time the burglar dented one of his car doors — damage he has yet to get an estimate for, he said. His liability insurance would not cover the damage.

Aponte said he filed police reports for the first two instances but stopped after police sent him a phone number to text in pictures of the damage the second time. He would have preferred a visit by an officer.

"The police report, in reality, for us, the process was more trouble than it was worth," he said.

In one incident, specialty glass was smashed, which caused him to have to find a replacement online and take his vehicle to an auto shop. Each occurrence forced him to take time off work, but the specialty glass was a major headache, taking about a month to fix, he said. Thieves have only made off with his loose change, a Bluetooth connector for his car and his partner's pepper spray. One time Aponte and his partner were gifted something, he said, joking that "once, they left us a flat-head screwdriver."

Aponte and his partner are moving at a difficult time with the ongoing Chattanooga housing shortage.

(READ MORE: Solving Chattanooga's housing shortage: Curbed Construction leads the charge)

"It's been a frustrating experience touring apartments that are old and not well-kept, that property managers and property companies are still asking top dollar for," he said.

According to Raulston, this is a national issue, not just a Chattanooga issue.

"The biggest thing is lock it, hide it, hold it," he said."If you're going to leave it in your car, make sure it's hidden, make sure the car is locked. So many people leave their expensive valuables just in plain view in their car. I'm talking from iPads to computers to guns, expensive purses. You just made yourself a target for this. It may not get you then, but it will eventually happen to you."